# Scotty's Castle

- **Country:** the United States
- **Coordinates:** 37.032222, -117.341500
- **Location Text:** Grapevine Mountains, Death Valley, California, built from 1922 to 1931. It is a two-story Mission Revival and Spanish Colonial Revival style villa with two tall towers projecting from the main structure. It is listed as a historic district on the National Register of Historic Places.

Scotty's Castle, also known as Death Valley Ranch, is a historic two-story villa situated in the Grapevine Mountains of northern Death Valley National Park in California. Located approximately 45 miles north of Stovepipe Wells and about a three-hour drive from Las Vegas, Nevada, the estate was constructed between 1922 and 1931. The architecture features a distinctive Provincial Spanish style, blending Mexican, Spanish, and Mediterranean influences with Mission Revival and Spanish Colonial Revival elements. Designed by architect Martin de Dubovay and engineer Mat Roy Thompson, the sprawling complex sits within a historic district covering nearly 1,778 acres.

The site holds significant historical value due to the unlikely friendship between Chicago millionaire Albert Mussey Johnson and Walter E. Scott, a gold prospector and performer known as Death Valley Scotty. Although Scott convinced Johnson to invest in a fraudulent mine, the two became close friends, leading Johnson to build this luxurious winter home at his wife's suggestion. Despite its name, Scott never owned the property, and the structure is not an actual castle. The project cost between $1.5 and $2.5 million during the early twentieth century, serving as a testament to the eccentric era of Death Valley tourism and development.

Currently, the castle faces an uncertain future following severe damage from flash floods in October 2015 and a subsequent fire in 2021 that destroyed the historic garage and workshop used as a visitor center. These disasters have forced the National Park Service to keep the site closed to the public, with repairs expected to continue through at least 2026. While the main villa remains standing, the extensive damage has halted all tours and operations, preserving the site in a state of suspended animation while restoration plans are developed for this unique piece of American history.

![Photo of Scotty's Castle](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/37/Suncastle.jpg)

**Source:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scotty's_Castle (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)